Patrick Gentry

Patrick Gentry serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Biology at Indiana University, where he directs the First-Year Science Apprenticeship (FYSA) program and collaborates with Butler University's Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES).

Education:

• Ph.D. from Purdue University, West Lafayette
• M.S. from Indiana University, Indianapolis
• B.S. from IUPUI
• A.S. from IUPUI

His research centers on innovative science education methodologies, particularly Project Based Learning (PBL) frameworks designed to expand research experiences for non-science majors. He actively develops best practices for community building in asynchronous online courses and integrates urban ecology fieldwork into undergraduate curricula through his collaboration with CUES, where he tracks mammal populations in Indianapolis wildlife corridors. This data directly informs his course Urban Ecology: The Intersection Between Humans and Nature in Cities.

As Director of FYSA, he manages an annual program hiring approximately 30 first-year Biology majors for on-campus laboratory positions (10-20 hours/week) involving solution preparation, animal care, and research support. The program, operational from June-September with 2021 pay at $12.50/hour, is structured around evidence showing moderate work hours improve student time management without compromising academic performance.